Record year for Singapore airport

The previous high of 28.9 million passengers was set in 2002. The tourism industry suffered in 2003 when SARS struck the region; that year Changi saw 24.7 million passengers.
"Passenger traffic for January-to-November this year is up some 4.5 percent from the same period in 2002," said transport minister Yeo Cheow Tong.
The rise in passenger numbers comes as Singapore -- like the rest of Southeast Asia --has seen a sharp increase in the number of budget airlines.
Four low-cost fliers began serving Changi this year, and they now make up about seven percent of the airport's total flights.
Passenger traffic from the main countries served by low-cost carriers -- Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong -- rose by about seven percent compared with 2002.
The city-state is targeting revenues of $5.3 billion this year from its tourism industry, which accounts for about 10 percent of gross domestic product.